Community walks for veteran suicide awareness

Walkers wear the number 20 for the number of vets who take their lives a day (Source: KWES)

MIDLAND COUNTY, TX (KWES) -

With September being Suicide Awareness Month, local veterans and members of the community walked at the Chris Kyle Memorial in Odessa this weekend. It was all part of a campaign to raise awareness for veteran suicide.

The Midland Vet Center, the West Texas Veterans Administration and the Military Partners Coalition let the community know that suicide isn't the answer. The number of veterans who take their lives everyday dropped from 22 to 20 veterans.

They're hoping the walk is one of the many ways they can help keep that number down.

"We can't stop it," said Outreach Coordinator LeAnne Thornton. "We have found the statistics where the large majority of vets who take their lives haven't registered with their local VA. So the VA didn't know about them and didn't know they were having difficulties. One thing is to ask to be registered with your local VA."

If you or someone you know suffering, contact the West Texas VA at (432) 263-7361.

Borden County is headed back to Arlington for the second year in a row. The Coyotes look to take home another state championship where last year marked the school's fourth state title. Making it back to the big stage at AT&T Stadium still comes with a lot of emotion for both the team and the community.

Borden County is headed back to Arlington for the second year in a row. The Coyotes look to take home another state championship where last year marked the school's fourth state title. Making it back to the big stage at AT&T Stadium still comes with a lot of emotion for both the team and the community.